Join us at the Wellesley Stage for World Pride!

On Saturday June 28 at 3 – 3:45pm, Unapologetic Burlesque is hosting a showcase at the Wellesley Stage (across from Wellesley Station) for World Pride!

we have much to celebrate, as our resiliency and presence as superqueeros go back for centuries and histories all around the world. this celebration is happening here on this ground, now in this moment, and while so much of pride celebrations get co-opted into white, rich, cis male depoliticized versions of things - we for certain will not stay silent. in the midst of all of this, we invite you to be your most badass self, get your burlesque on, and share with us as we take the stage!!

come to this stage show to witness seasoned performers, new performers, shape-shifters, trouble-makers who are People of colour, Black, Indigenous, queer, genderqueer, trans, people of varying body sizes, people of all abilities, people who are playing with burlesque or re-invent it completely!

What is the deal with Unapologetic Burlesque?Check out our about page for more info!

NOTE from the Organizers:

In hosting this Unapologetic set at World Pride – we first want to acknowledge that this event is taking place on occupied and colonized land. We acknowledge the original people and caretakers of this land including Haudensaunee, Anishnabek, Wendat First Nations, Three Fires Confederacy, Mississauga of New Credit peoples, whose autonomy and sovereignty have been continually compromised and violated at the hands of colonial project-building and the spread and encouragement of colonial (read: racist, misogynist, transphobic, ableistic, classist, homophobic) culture, knowledge and ideas – including the values and organizing principles behind this World Pride festival. Especially at World Pride do we want to acknowledge the global pervasiveness of this violence, as well as the resilience and genius of Indigenous peoples here and around the world; of the histories and realities around the world that are rooted in anti-colonial / anti-racist values of movement building, creation and caretaking.

In hosting this Unapologetic event at World Pride – we acknowledge that Pride festival is a deeply toxic environment for MANY of us for many different reasons. For those of us who are not white, cis, gay, male, able-bodied, thin and, yes, even straight, we do not feel safe, at home, or “proud” at the environment created during Pride. Further, the increased corporatization, security and police presence during Pride not only forgets the initial spirit of liberation centered around Indigenous, people of colour, trans, genderqueer, sex worker, low-income folks but enacts further violence upon these people. Especially given the theme of our recent Unapologetic Burlesque showcase, we want to say firmly that so much of the presence and organizing behind World Pride comes at the expense to many of us; and comes at a disservice, disrespect and harm to the ground upon which we grow, live, work, play, love.Speaking as local community organizers and working artists – it is really damn fucking hard to work in this city.

ALL THIS SAID – we still choose to be here. We still choose to host this set, and give space to this small group of unapologetic, lion-hearted performers, storytellers, truth-tellers to shine their brightest.

Being a part of Unapologetic Burlesque has been deeply meaningful and life-changing – to be a part of something that helps to create, build, and share work and art rooted in love, care, respect, consent, ongoing transformation. Unapologetic exists because we so often looked around ourselves and saw no room or place for ourselves as working artists, as storytellers. So we had to create those things for ourselves; and no matter what the project is, we will spend our lives doing so. Doing this work is rewarding, beautiful, and exhausting.

Choosing to host Unapologetic Burlesque as part of World Pride festival holds this complexity. All at once: because of our interactions and (lack) of communication with Pride, we were not able to organize this stage according to many values of accessibility and balance/fairness in our curation and organizing process that we prioritize in our other shows and our own self-care. Still we know that for many of us it is important for us to be here; to carve a space for ourselves to exist, to be recognized, to get paid, to perform on bigger stages and in front of international audiences. Still we know that much of how Pride has allocated TIME, SPACE, COMMUNICATION AND MONEY toward local, people of colour focused programming (including but not limited to Unapologetic Burlesque) has not been anywhere NEAR adequate.

STILL, we are here.

We are here, holding ourselves and each other, in the balance of these many contradictory things: struggle, anger, frustration, resilience, defiance, accomplishment, celebration.

a thank you card from the performers after our first unapologetic burlesque showcase!